Multi-purpose picture frame

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a picture frame which may be assembled without the aid of tools and whose internal configuration provides various slots or grooves to secure a picture therein in several positions, e.g., front or rear floated, front or rear matted; combinations of these; shadow boxed etc. Corner pieces are disclosed which include sliding bar means and snap-in means for quick assembly of the sides of the frame.

United States Patent [191 Tate 4 [111 3,811,214 May 21, 1974 MULTI-PURPOSE PICTURE FRAME Inventor: Raymond F. Tate, 21423 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, Calif. 90265 Filed: Nov. 16, 1971 Appl. No.: 199,139

US. Cl. 40/ 152 Int. Cl. G09f 1/12 Field of Search 40/152, 155, 156;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/l952 Edwards 40/l55 3/1957 Secord 287/l89.36 H 5/l96l Roseman 40/156 3,095,661 7/1963 Ellis 40/l56 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Pennie & Edmonds [57] ABSTRACT There is disclosed a picture frame which may be assembled without the aid of tools and whose internal configuration provides various slots or grooves to secure a picture therein in several positions, e.g., front or rear floated, front or rear matted; combinations of these; shadow boxedetc. Corner pieces are disclosed which include sliding bar means and snap-in means f0 quick assembly of the sides of the frame.

5 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures msmennmm 3.811.214

SHEET 3 0F 3 FIG. 9 FIG. 10

FIG. 12

FIG. 11

1 MULTl-PURPOSE PICTURE FRAME I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a picture frame which may be assembled by persons unskilled in the art of framing, without tools, and in a multiple of display configurations.

Despite the highly developed state of the art of framing, the ability to frame in any but the simplest of the many possible ways still lies with the skill of the framer rather than being an intrinsic property of conventional frames.

There is also a need, as yet unsatisfied by prior framing techniques, to allow the display of art be it on thin sheet or on canvas stretcher, in diverse ways. The present invention enables those unskilled in the art of framing to assemble a frame in any of eight different ways and furthermore those skilled or unskilled to assemble and disassemble a frame without the use of tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a picture frame assembly has been devised which includes frame elements of uniquely channelled configuration. Each frame element, in addition to having a flat outer surface and parallel sides projecting therefrom contains two internal ribs each parallel with respect to and spaced from its adjacent side to form respectively wide and narrow vertical grooves. This arrangement produces wholly new and unexpected results since now the frame can accommodate multiple variations and combinations of sheet materials. For example, the wide groove may accept and contain the edges of two glass sheets which sandwich between them artwork while at the same time the narrow groove may receive a matting to provide a front floated rear matted effect. Many other arrangements are possible including those herein specifically disclosed.

As further aspects of the present invention two forms of corner lock are provided each of which is readily received within grooves provided in each frame element, a corner lock comprising perpendicularly arranged legs which carry a locking element for insertion in openings in the frame elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the picture frame with parts broken away thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the corner securing means;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along a line 33 of FIG. 1 illustrating the method of assembling two adjacent corners of a picture frame;

FIG. 4 is a section similar to that of FIG. 3 illustrating a completed corner assembly; v

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second corner bracket;

FIG. 7 is a section view similar to FIG. 3 showing th method of attaching two adjacent picture frames;

FIG. 8 is a transverse section taken along the line 88 of FIG. 7

FIGS. 9-12 illustrate various methods of mounting a picture.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring initially to FIGS. l-S and particularly to FIG. 1 a picture frame 10 comprising top and bottom frame elements 11 and 12 respectively and side frame elements 13 and 14 has been illustrated. As best seen in FIG. 5, each of the frame elements includes parallel sides 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b etc. which together with spaced, parallel ribs 30, 31 define vertical grooves 36 and 37. Groove 36 is somewhat wider than groove 37 and, as will be described in detail herein, are adapted to receive various combinations of artwork, glass, matting etc. Ribs 30, 31 include inwardly projecting beads 32 and 33 which form horizontal grooves 34 and 35 with the outer portions 11c, etc. of frame elements 1 l-l4 Adjacent frame elements 11-14 are connected in the embodiment of FIGS. l-5 by means of the corner slide lock 15 shown in FIG. 2. The slide lock 15 includes right angle legs 20 and 21, gussets 22, and a locking element 23. The latter is slidable within apertures 24 and 25 of legs 20 and 21 respectively and mounts lugs 26, one at each side thereof which prevent the withdrawal of locking element 23 from the slide lock.

Referring to FIG. 5, to assemble say, adjacent frame elements 11 and 13, a slide lock 15 will first have one of its legs 20 or 21 slidably received within grooves 34 and 35 until one of the apertures 24, 25 becomes coin cident with a mating opening 40, 41 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) in a frame element 1 l or 13. During slidable passage of leg 20 for example with respect to frame element 11, the end 23b of arcuate locking element 23 will be within the aperture 24 and the opposite end 230 will extend for a distance twice the thickness of a frame element from the aperture 25. When aperture 24 and opening 41 are coincident, the end 23a of locking element 23 will be pressed to thrust the opposite end 23b thereof into the opening 41, thus connecting the slide lock 15 with frame element 11. Frame element 13 can then be assembled to slide lock 15 in like manner. Then locking element 23 is pressed in a reverse direction to secure both frame elements 11 and 13 to the slide lock 15, the ends 23a and 23b becoming flush with the outer surfaces of the frame elements.

Before securing the remaining frame elements 12 and 14, the various arrangements of artwork, glass, matting and stiffeners permitted by the present invention will first be inserted as will be shown and described. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 and viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5 the most common or front matted" arrangement is to locate within wide groove 36, glass or plexiglass 16, the artwork or other item to be framed 18, the matboard 17 and a plastic stiffener 19. The narrow groove 37 will receive a hanger clasp 61 having some means such as a slot (not shown) to accommodate-a nail head to hang the assembled frame 10 on a wall.

FIG. 9 illustrates a front floated arrangement wherein the artwork 18 is sandwiched between two sheets of glass 16 and 19, all contained within groove 36, to provide the illusion of the artwork suspended in space. If a matting is additionally positioned in groove 37, the framing installation is known as front floating,- rear matted, (viewed in the direction of arrow B) FIG. 10 illustrates a rear-matted arrangement (viewed in the direction of arrow C) wherein glass 16 ismounted within narrow groove 37 and glass 16', mat

l7, artwork l8 and stiffener 19 are mounted in wide groove 36.

FIG. 11, when viewed in the direction of arrow D illustrates a rear floated assembly wherein artwork 18 is sandwiched between glass 19 and 16' in groove 36 and a single sheet of glass is positioned in groove 37. If artwork l8 constitutes forward and rearward facing artwork placed back to back a unique two-sided picture frame results which lends itself to room divider applications. Furthermore, a matting may be placed between the back to back artwork to produce a two-sided matted assembly. I

A shadow box" assembly results from the arrangement of FIG. 12 (viewed in thedirection of arrow E). Two mats l7 and 17' are placed behind glass 16. These mats have a predetermined area removed from themto allow viewing of the rear artwork 18 sandwiched between stiflener l9 and mat 17'' with cutout area.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate form of corner slide lock 49. In this embodiment two'legs 50 and 51 are formed at 90 with respect to each other. Each leg comprises a wide section 52 and a narrower section 53. A pair of lugs 54 are located at the ends of each narrow section 53. It will be understood that the thickness of legs 50 and 51 are such that they will slide within the grooves 34 and 35 of the picture frame elements 1ll6 in the same fashion as legs 20 and 21 of the previous embodiment. However, when the corner slide lock 49 is partially inserted in a frame element, its leg portion 53 will flex until the lug portion 54 is received within an opening 40 or 41 of the frame element.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the method of assembling the corner slide lock 49 and frame elements 11-14. As the side portion of the corner slide lock 49 enters the groove in the picture frame the narrow portion 53 of the legs 50 and 51 will have to flex due to the presence of the lugs 54. This occurs only until the slide lock enters the various openings provided in the frame elements, The use of this corner slide lock is particularly advantageous when a prestretched canvas frame 60 is to be formed as is shown in FIG. 8. There are no elements of the slide lock 49 between the legs 50 and 51 which can interfere with the corners of the canvas frame 60. It will be noted that in the form of the invention of FIG. 8, rib 30 has been shortened to allow canvas frame 60 to extend widthwise between rib 31 and flange 13a of frame element 13. 7

It will be understood that the foregoing description relates to particular embodiments of the invention and is therefore representative. In order to appreciate the scope of the invention, therefore should be made to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a picture frame assembly wherein four frame elements, are joined at adjacent corners to form a rectangular frame, each of the frame elements having a generally flat outer portion defining the periphery of the frame when assembled and each having inwardly exthe improvement comprising each frame element having a first rib connected to said outer portion spaced internally of one of said sides parallel thereto, a second rib also connected to said outer portion spaced internally of the other of said sides parallel thereto, each rib including a bead projecting inwardly therefrom to define an horizontal groove between said head and the internal surface of said outer portion, a corner locking member having flat legs perpendicularly joined along one edge, each leg having a thickness no greater than that of the horizontal grooves formed by the beads such that a leg of said locking member may be slidably received within said grooves to be held with respect to said frame element, aperture means defined in said outer portion of each said frame element adjacent to corner forming edges thereof, and a locking element carried by each leg of said corner locking member for sequential and selective insertion into said aperture means without the use of tools, enabling quick assembling of adjacent corner forming edges of said frame elements.

2. The picture frame improvement according to claim 1 wherein said locking element is an arcuate rod slidably received in openings in each leg of said corner locking member, lug means carried by said locking element to prevent withdrawal of said element from said member, said arcuate rodhaving a length s'ufficient to cause the ends thereof to be flush with the outer surface of the periphery of the frame when assembled in its corner locking position, said arcuate rod being slidable with respect to each leg of said corner locking member so as to be flush with each said leg during slidable assembly of said leg into said horizontal grooves of said frame elements.

3. The picture frame improvement according to claim 1 wherein said locking element is a lug shaped to coincide with a mating opening in one of said frame elements, and each leg of said locking member is resiliantly flexible and capable of thrusting and holding each said lug within one of said frame openings upon coincidence of lug and opening.

4. The picture frame assembly according to claim 1 wherein one of said ribs defines a relatively narrow vertical groove between it and the adjacent side and the other of said ribs defines a relatively wide vertical groove between it and the adjacent side.

5. The picture frame assembly according to claim 4' and a shadow box combination. 

1. In a picture frame assembly wherein four frame elements, are joined at adjacent corners to form a rectangular frame, each of the frame elements having a generally flat outer portion defining the periphery of the frame when assembled and each having inwardly extending parallel sides connected to said outer portion, the improvement comprising each frame element having a first rib connected to said outer portion spaced internally of one of said sides parallel thereto, a second rib also connected to said outer portion spaced internally of the other of said sides parallel thereto, each rib including a bead projecting inwardly therefrom to define an horizontal groove between said bead and the internal surface of said outer portion, a corner locking member having flat legs perpendicularly joined along one edge, each leg having a thickness no greater than that of the horizontal grooves formed by the beads such that a leg of said locking member may be slidably received within said grooves to be held with respect to said frame element, aperture means defined in said outer portion of each said frame element adjacent to corner forming edges thereof, and a locking element carried by each leg of said corner locking member for sequential and selective insertion into said aperture means without the use of tools, enabling quick assembling of adjacent corner forming edges of said frame elements.
 2. The picture frame improvement according to claim 1 wherein said locking element is an arcuate rod slidably received in openings in each leg of said corner locking member, lug means carried by said locking element to prevent withdrawal of said element from said member, said arcuate rod having a length sufficient to cause the ends thereof to be flush with the outer surface of the periphery of the frame when assembled in its corner locking position, said arcuate rod being slidable with respect to each leg of said corner locking member so as to be flush with each said leg during slidAble assembly of said leg into said horizontal grooves of said frame elements.
 3. The picture frame improvement according to claim 1 wherein said locking element is a lug shaped to coincide with a mating opening in one of said frame elements, and each leg of said locking member is resiliantly flexible and capable of thrusting and holding each said lug within one of said frame openings upon coincidence of lug and opening.
 4. The picture frame assembly according to claim 1 wherein one of said ribs defines a relatively narrow vertical groove between it and the adjacent side and the other of said ribs defines a relatively wide vertical groove between it and the adjacent side.
 5. The picture frame assembly according to claim 4 wherein said grooves have a predetermined width for receiving edge portions of sheet framing material including artwork, glass, matting and stiffeners in various combination for locating said artwork including a front matted, a front floated, a rear matted, a rear floated and a shadow box combination. 